On the 29th July 2015 Microsoft will (or did, depending on when you read this) release Windows 10 to the public.

In a radical departure for Microsoft they are offering all users of qualifying versions of Windows a free upgrade to so long as you do the Windows 10 upgrade before 28th July 2016.

Note – There are people wrongly interpreting Microsoft’s statement of ‘Free to all qualifying users for one year’ as being – you will get it free for the first year, and after that you will have to pay to carry on using it. This is most definitely NOT the case, if you accept the Windows 10 upgrade offer before 28th July 2016 then you will get the new version for free for the life of the device it is on. If you choose to accept the Windows 10 upgrade after that date you will charged for the upgrade.

There are less version of Windows 10 than previous versions, so it is not immediately obvious which version you will receive when you upgrade. To determine which version you will receive, please see our listing below.

Upgrading from Windows 8

Windows 8.1 – will upgrade to Windows 10 Home edition.

Windows 8.1 (with Bing) – will upgrade to Windows 10 Home edition.

Windows 8.1 Professional – will upgrade to Windows 10 Professional.

Windows Phone 8.1 – Will be upgraded to Windows 10 mobile, however it’s availability will vary depending on the handset manufacturer, model, and mobile service provider.

Upgrading from Windows 7

Windows 7 Starter – will upgrade to Windows 10 Home edition.

Windows 7 Home Basic – will upgrade to Windows 10 Home edition.

Windows 7 Home Premium – will upgrade to Windows 10 Home edition.

Windows 7 Professional – will upgrade to Windows 10 Professional.

Windows 7 Ultimate – will upgrade to Windows 10 Professional.

It is interesting to see that Micorosf are offering to update the ultra-cheap Windows 7 Starter that was only sold pre-installed on netbooks, but there are some versions of Windows that will NOT be offered the Windows 10 upgrade, they are – Windows 7 Enterprise, Windows 8, Windows 8.1 Enterprise, and Windows RT/RT 8.1